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Q: Does my current employer need the name of my future employer in China?
In need of some help here with this situation. The foreign affairs officer (waiban) at my current employer has just informed today that to prepare my reference letter she needs to know the name of my future employer to write that on the reference letter. Her and I have had our differences in the past but never anything too serious. Last year around this time I took another job and she prepared the reference letter for me and canceled my foreign experts certificate and she did all of this without any inquiry into my future employer. So why is she saying she needs to know now? Am I required to tell her? I am sensing she may have some other intention here, possibly to convince my future employer not to hire me. Is this a new requirement now? Here's what she says word for word "The Provincial Bureau of Foreign Expert Affairs requires the name of the recommended employer written on foreign teacher's Reference Letter. So please tell me the Chinese name of your new employer"
9 years 51 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
The answer is no, your current employer does not have to know anything about your future employer. your next employer might not even be in China, so it is none of their business.
Ask for your reference in Chinese and English, and then get a Chinese friend to check and compare.
DHorn:
Thanks for the reply, Sorrel. I am a little concerned then if she is claiming that bureau of foreign affairs requires that I tell her the name of my new employer. Why wouldn't she just give me a poor recommendation and then wait for my new employer to contact and ask why? Instead she is demanding to know my new employer's name prior to issuing my reference letter.
I'm going from one university to another in the same province so perhaps she's just curious and wants to give my new employer a heads up about me. I'm not quitting my job. I'll be finishing my contract and just transferring over to another university next fall.
sorrel:
Tell her that none of your friends (other FT's) have been asked for this when looking for a reference.
She's trying to bluff you.
Is it just a reference letter? Or other things? Like a transfer of visa. When i changed companies mid contract they just transfered my visa so there was info needed, but from what i know a recommendation letter needs nothing. Call your local foreign experts office ( type safea in the question bar youll gey adress and number for your city) better to go straight to the source then second hand info for this one.
DHorn:
Hi Mike, my new employer needs a reference letter and canceled foreign experts certificate in order to process my new z-visa and residence permit. However, my current FAO is saying that she needs to know my new employer's name in order to write that on the reference letter. I have been issued reference letter's before and I know this is false. There is no such place on the reference letter that requires the name of your future employer. This is worrying me as to what her intentions may be.
Never tell your old school where you will work, not even the city. People here are very vindictive and there are many ways they can secretly screw you over.
DHorn:
So if I refuse to tell her my new employer's name then I'm wondering what her next move is going to be. She could just flat-out refuse to issue the letter for me or perhaps give me a poor recommendation which will most likely result in a phone call from my new employer to her asking why. Either way, me not telling her is just pissing off the person who issues my recommendation letter which i need for my next job.
sorrel:
tell her you need a generic reference for all your future employers.
If it has the name of one employer (your next one) on it, it won't be usable after that 
Englteachted:
Lie, make up some brand name school like New Oriental. After you get the new visa and FEC just say it fell through. Sorry but you must also do this with your co-workers. Your co-workers will tell your business to everyone, even if you ask them to keep it a secret. You are a foreigner, always in their mind.
i know i just posted this as a comment:
tell her you need a generic reference for all your future employers.
If it has the name of one employer (your next one) on it, it won't be usable after that
if she still insists, ask for 2 versions of the reference, one with no employers name on and one with an incorrect new employers name on it - maybe make up a training school name
